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" This relocated white kitchen is a sociable space for all the family to enjoy. HOW IT BEGAN Gaby Karpathios and her husband Theo have three children and have owned their two-storey three-bedroom apartment in a Victorian house in Richmond, south west London, for nearly two years. The renovation took about nine months to complete as the property needed a lot of repairs but the family was able to move out while the transformation was underway. The kitchen was their biggest challenge.  ACTION PLAN  Relocate the kitchen to the other side of the apartment Source handleless units Install unusual glass splashback Add island with bar Fit two sinks  This is a lovely apartment\u00A0We bought it as our London base. We also have a house in Cheltenham, where we moved eight years ago because of Theo&amp;#039;s work, but we&amp;#039;re planning to move back to this area permanently. We were attracted to the apartment&amp;#039;s large rooms and high ceilings, and the fact that it hadn&amp;#039;t been touched since the 1980s really appealed as it meant we could start from scratch. How did you design the layout?\u00A0I&amp;#039;m Australian and Theo&amp;#039;s Greek so we wanted a big sociable space where we could eat, sit and chat. We both like to entertain, so it was important for us for the kitchen to be the focal point of the home. Theo&amp;#039;s sister, Anna Van Dongen, who is an interior designer, helped me to plan the interior and provided drawings.The bedrooms are upstairs, and this floor had a small kitchen right at the back, and a lovely large living room at the front with a balcony, so it felt as if everything was out of proportion. Then there was a large open space off the hall, used as a sort of dining room and walk-through to the tiny kitchen, with a bathroom in one corner. It had lovely French doors overlooking the garden, and it seemed to me that it would be just right for a big kitchen/diner. The old kitchen has become a study and we&amp;#039;ve also put in a cloakroom near the stairs.  You had a good idea about what you wanted\u00A0Finding units I liked was hard. I wanted something without handles, that had a slightly retro feel, painted rather than gloss, and light, but not harsh white. I couldn&amp;#039;t find anything that ticked all the boxes and ended up going to see a joiner in Cheltenham, Laurence Sperring of Highgrove Bespoke Joiners. He understood my idea instantly and showed me units with inlaid handles. Every inch of the space was able to be used as the units could be built to any specification. The kitchen was a reasonable price \u2013 cheaper than I was quoted by some high street companies \u2013 although I did splash out on high-quality appliances, splashbacks and flooring. What sort of look were you going for?\u00A0Contemporary, chic and, of course, functional, and I wanted to keep it light. I&amp;#039;m a big fan of the website houzz.com as it has links to manufacturers and suggestions about where you can source things. Here I spotted antiqued glass and knew that would look just right as a splashback against the white units. A special technique used in its manufacture means you don&amp;#039;t get the kind of problems you&amp;#039;d get with real antique glass and it&amp;#039;s made to an exact fit.  What else was on your wish list?\u00A0It was important for all the family to be able to sit in the kitchen, but I didn&amp;#039;t want a dining table right in the middle. I thought it would be better to go for an island that we could sit at, which also provides storage. When I&amp;#039;m cooking people come and sit at the island and chat, and it&amp;#039;s great for informal meals or casual business meetings. I also wanted two sinks \u2013 one near the oven and hob with a boiling tap, and one at the other end where the drinks are served. It has a sparkling water option, which is a fun addition. If anyone&amp;#039;s getting a drink from the fridge or the tap they don&amp;#039;t get under my feet when I&amp;#039;m cooking. The lighting is stunning...\u00A0I absolutely love good lighting, and it&amp;#039;s something that needs thinking about. My favourite shop is Trainspotters in Stroud, which specialises in reclaimed industrial lighting and salvage \u2013 much of it Eastern European from the communist era \u2013 as well as remanufacturing old designs. The kitchen lights are on different circuits so they can be changed to suit the mood. Tell us about your best bargain\u00A0The circular magnetic tins for herbs, spices and nuts from Ikea at three for \u00A35. They look really eyecatching and they&amp;#039;re practical. You could have a whole wall of them. WHAT IT COST Units...\u00A0\u00A321,600 Worktop...\u00A0\u00A34,200 Splashback...\u00A0\u00A33,600 Appliances...\u00A0\u00A33,688.59 Flooring...\u00A0\u00A31,399.30 Lighting...\u00A0\u00A3684 Paint... \u00A363 Total...\u00A0\u00A335,234.89  Kitchen design by Anna Van Dongen at Space Matters Interior Design\u00A0spacemattersdesign.co.uk   "^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://www.housebeautiful.co.uk/renovate/homes-makeovers/a193/sociable-space/>